Overview
- The Mitchell Institute’s satellite-image analysis, widely reported Friday, spotted lines of converted J-6 aircraft at five bases in Fujian and one in Guangdong near the Taiwan Strait.
- Analyst J. Michael Dahm estimates China has deployed about 200 of these J-6W drones near Taiwan and converted more than 500 in total.
- Experts say the PLA would launch them in a first-wave swarm that flies into targets like cruise missiles to overwhelm air defenses.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry told parliament it will quickly buy new counter-drone systems as officials warn of a costly need to use high-end interceptors against cheap targets.
- Analysts add that the forward airfields hosting the drones sit within range of Taiwanese counterstrikes, creating risks for China’s launch plan.